We have reached the final Friday in December–which also happens to be the final Friday of 2021, and just happens to be New Year’s Eve.

We have been snowed in. Our particular neighborhood is bounded on all sides by hills that become difficult to drive on if we get ice and snow. Various government agencies were pleading with people all week not to drive if they could avoid it. Buses are on emergency routes. (Just Google "Seattle bus slides down snowy hill" and you’ll be taken to some truly terrifying videos and stories from past storms). My husband took the bus in to work two days, which involved him walking further to catch a bus because of the emergency route avoiding steep hills. After his scare ride home the second work day of the week, when more snow came down, he decided to take the day off.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories about fictional parents, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about discrimination, five stories about treason and deplorables, and five stories about the crime and punishment. Plus some notable deaths and a couple of things I wrote.

This Week in Fictional Parents:

The 2021 Darth Vader Parenthood Award for Outstandingly Horrible Fictional Parents

The 2021 Jonathan and Martha Kent Fictional Parent of the Year Award

Stories of the Week:

A 6th Grader Saves the Lives of Two People on the Same Day – Davyon Johnson, 11, has been honored for his Dec. 9 interventions but says he doesn’t understand the attention he’s drawn. It was “the right thing to do,” he said

Betty White’s Words of Wisdom at 100: ‘Avoid Anything Green’

Webb Space Telescope Got a Lucky Boost From Its Christmas Launch – The mission may have enough fuel to last over a decade, thanks to an ultra-precise launch

A pandemic-scarred year ends in darkness — but with hope on the horizon

21 most popular LGBTQ news stories of 2021 – This year’s most clicked on queer stories include a transgender Miss USA contestant, gay emperors, a nonbinary Olympian, lesbian bars and more

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Two California teachers were secretly recorded speaking about LGBTQ student outreach. Now they’re fighting for their jobs

Gay-Straight Alliance Wins Equal Rights After Judge’s Injunction

Gay Man’s Entire Family Helps Him Stand Up To Mom And Invite BF For Christmas

New Jersey Legislators Vote to Protect Marriage Equality

Colton Haynes shares photo he spent years trying to get wiped from internet

This Week in Discrimination:

Sodomy laws are still being used to persecute queer people

Pennridge School District removes LGBTQ books from libraries

Mom heartbroken by daughter’s suicide blames transphobic Republicans & health insurers

Oklahoma bill gives parents the right to have a book removed from a school library

Anti-Semitic Man Attacked Neighbor While Yelling Homophobic Slurs

This Week in Seditious Traitors and Other Deplorables:

‘Slow-motion insurrection’: How GOP seizes election power

A Lie Totally Devoid of Reality’: Venezuelan Businessman Sues Fox News, Lou Dobbs, Sidney Powell Over ‘Egregious and Sinister’ Claims Linked to 2020 Election

Rep. Liz Cheney hits back at Trump as Jan. 6 committee pushes Supreme Court to order release of White House records

Ex-Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg agrees to pay Seminole County nearly $2M in restitution

Jim Jordan ‘Committed a Felony’ With Text Message to Mark Meadows: Former Federal Prosecutor

This Week in Crime and Punishment:

Ghislaine Maxwell convicted in Epstein sex abuse case

Capitol rioters hit with severe sentences and sharp reprimands from judges – Some of the longest sentences have gone to rioters charged with ‘assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon’ I disagree with the headline. Four Puerto Rican nationalists who assaulted the capitol in the 1950s got sentences of 50 to 75 years for their crime. None of the convicted rioters — including those who assaulted capitol police — have been sentenced to more than 6 years.

Convicted of sex crimes, Jack Strain may have to pay costs of his prosecution, jailing – DA’s office also seeking restitution for former sheriff’s victims

A man convicted of killing four people in what authorities say was one of the most gruesome crimes in North Dakota history has been sentenced to multiple life prison terms without the possibility of parole

Non-Prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein Jail Guards Made Official

In Memoriam:

Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s ‘moral compass’ – Tutu, who died on Sunday at the age of 90, was considered ‘a thorn in the side of the apartheid government’

LGBTQ+ Rights Ally Archbishop Desmond Tutu Dies at 90

Harry Reid Didn’t Care What You Thought of Him

Harry Reid, former Senate majority leader and Democratic kingmaker, dies at 82

Gay Olympic Diving Star Ian Matos Is Dead at 32

John Madden, football legend, dies at 85

The final, beautiful goodbye of NFL legend John Madden

Things I Wrote:

We need a Rainbow Christmas more than ever!

On the seventh day of Christmas vacation…

We have reached the fourth Friday in December. This year also known as Christmas Eve. Or as Kermit once described it in song, the day before the night before Christmas.

I finally seem to be over whatever I was sick with, for what it’s worth. Thursday was my first day of a 12-day Christmas vacation, which means–of course–that things were crazy at work on Wednesday and I worked a few hours later than I would like.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about simple joy, two stories about the season, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorables, five stories about the pandemic, and five stories about the Hugo Awards. Plus some notable deaths and a couple of things I wrote.

This Week in Joy:

JOY: Watch This Third-Grade Teacher Make A Hail Mary Shot

This Week in Tis the Season:

Recommended listening: Louis Armstrong’s ‘The Night Before Christmas’

Lowland residents to get Christmas weekend snow, with dangerous cold to follow

Stories of the Week:

Hanukkah isn’t Jewish Christmas. Here’s the story of the holiday

One Year In, Joe Biden Has Confirmed More Lifetime Judges Than Decades Of Presidents

A New Record for Gorey Art at Auction

A dinosaur embryo has been found inside a fossilized egg. Here’s what that means

Astronomers discover largest group of ‘rogue planets’ yet

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Students sued their school for the right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance. They just won

Utah billionaire leaves Mormon church, donates $600,000 to LGBTQ group

Author of ‘Gender Queer,’ one of most-banned books in U.S., addresses controversy

It’s official: Washington Blade gets designated seat in WH briefing room – LGBTQ newspaper secures seat in WH briefing room for first time

Jennifer Coolidge reading the “The Night Before Christmas” is the present you need this year – She is making the Yuletide G-A-Y

This Week in Haters, Deplorable People, and Their Victims:

Thousands of Isreali LGBTQ people sent terrifying texts after dating site hack exposes personal info

Convicted Gay Trump Ally Brandon Straka Cooperating With Authorities

Trump Can Go To Hell. Why Not Jail?

Morning Joe: Mitch McConnell’s latest remarks about Jan. 6 probe shows GOP senators are done with Trump

Michael Flynn’s Request Thrown Out Of Court In ONE Day – The ink barely had time to dry on Flynn’s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the January 6th Committee from accessing his phone records or demand testimony from him

This Week in the Pandemic:

I Got COVID Three Times – Don’t worry, you (probably) won’t become me. But yes, you can get COVID twice, and even more

Covid-19 was third leading cause of death in 2020, driving record rise in death rate and nearly two-year drop in life expectancy

With omicron, you need a mask that means business

Vaccines, pills and data offer some Christmas cheer in face of Omicron advance

Omicron Is Our Past Pandemic Mistakes on Fast-Forward

This Week in Hugo Awards:

Cora Buhlert: Some Thoughts on the 2021 Hugo Award Winners and the Ceremony in general

Camestros Felapton: Hugo 2021 first reactions

Doris V. Sutherland: 2021 Hugo Awards Celebrate Imagination, Wonder, and an Arms Manufacturer

Nicholas Whyte: 2021 Hugos in detail

Doug Merrill: Hugo 2021 and Me

In Memoriam:

Joan Didion, famed American essayist and novelist, has died

Thomas Kinsella, one of Ireland’s finest poets, has died, aged 93

Things I Wrote:

Murderbot Wins Two Hugos! And other reactions to this year’s results

A ’54 Convertible Too, Light Blue

We have reached the third Friday in December.

My week has been dominated by sniffles, coughing, a scratchy throat, and an on-again off-again low grade fever. At the advice of my doctor I got a COVID test this week. Still awaiting the result. My husband came down with the first symptoms about 3 days after I did. Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about seditious traitors, and five stories about the pandemic. Plus notable obituaries.

Stories of the Week:

PolitiFact | The 2021 Lie of the Year: Lies about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and its significance

Lessons from a year of reporting on climate solutions in the PNW

Oh, So Now The Mainstream Media Gets That Fox News Is Garbage?

Kentucky Workers’ Jobs Threatened If They Evacuated For Tornado – "Corporations will literally let you die to make a buck." Stay in the factory during a tornado or get fired? It’s time to unionize EVERYWHERE

Senator Warren Pushes SCOTUS Expansion: Four More Justices – It’s time to UNPACK the Court

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Carl Nassib designed rainbow cleats to support the LGBTQ community

Hormone therapy linked to lower suicide risk for trans youths, study finds

US LGBTQ+ population hits 20 million

11 ways LGBTQ rights improved around the world in 2021 – Though 2021 presented many challenges for the LGBTQ community, it was also a year of hope and progress

Jury Awards $4M to Trans Boy After School Denies Him Restroom Access

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

Mark Meadows should face charges for stonewalling Congress

Lauren Boebert’s Recent Joke: Contextualized for the Racist-Adjacent and Empathy Deficient

Dem Congressman Doesn’t Sugarcoat It: Jim Jordan Is A Traitor – No mincing of words by Ruben Gallego, a former Marine who is on the House Armed Services Committee

Delaware judge denies Fox’s motion to dismiss Dominion lawsuit

DOJ must move ‘full speed ahead’ with Jan. 6 criminal probe of Trump and his allies: Laurence Tribe

This Week in the Pandemic:

Google employees to lose pay if don’t comply with vaccination policy

Pfizer confirms COVID pill’s results, potency versus omicron

The NFL and NBA lead new Covid outbreaks in sports, spurring fines, restrictions, and delays

5 omicron variant symptoms you shouldn’t ignore

Fauci says omicron will soon become dominant Covid variant in U.S., urges people to get vaccines and boosters

In Memoriam:

Feminist author and poet bell hooks, known for ‘Aint I A Woman’ and ‘All About Love’, dies at 69

Remembering our sister-friend bell hooks – Heartbreaking doesn’t aptly depict the enormity of her passing

‘The world is a lesser place today without her.’ Acclaimed author bell hooks dies at 69

Michael Nesmith, Monkees Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 78

Michael Nesmith was more than a Monkee

Michael Nesmith, Monkee and pop innovator, has died

My Friend, My First LGBTQ Ally, Anne Rice, Has Died

We have reached the second Friday in December. Which is one day after my wedding anniversary, and I’m still a bit amazed that my husband still puts up with me.

It’s getting colder. Earlier this week, because I let the bird feeder get lower than usual, there was a lot of drama outside my window. Little birds can be vicious to each other. The hummingbird feeder was not so low, but the colder temperatures (and a lot fewer flowering plants blooming in the area) means that several are visiting the feeder many times a day. For some reason there is that spot about a foot away from the feeder one the fairy lights I have strung up out there where several of the hummingbirds want to sit in between feeding… but they don’t want to share. And their fights are even more vicious than the altercations between the sparrows, junkos, and chickadees at the other feeder.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about a hidden treasure, two stories about making bad people pay for their wrongs, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorable people, and five stories about the pandemic. Plus notable obituaries and something I wrote.

This Week in Hidden Treasures:

Hidden sketch revealed beneath Rembrandt’s The Night Watch – Restoration uncovers Dutch master’s original vision for 1642 painting for the first time

This Week in Make Them Pay:

Mass Shooting Victim Sues MI School District For $100M – Michigan school shooting ‘entirely preventable,’ $100-million suit says

Family of Georgia Trans Inmate Wins $2.2M Wrongful-Death Settlement

Stories of the Week:

Canada Bans the Dangerous Practice of LGBTQ+ ‘Conversion Therapy’ – unanimous votes in both Houses…

Supreme Court Justice shoots down lawyer’s wild claim about LGBTQ rights – The lawyer said the right won’t use attacks on abortion to take away LGBTQ rights. Sonia Sotomayor called bullshit

Two recent murder trials show the danger of white fragility – Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted while Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan Jr. were found guilty, but the trials are merely opposite sides of the same coin

14 GOP senators help advance McConnell debt limit deal

Seventh-grader dies by suicide after being told he’d go to hell for being gay

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Federal Court To South Carolina: Fulton Doesn’t Do What You Think It Does – South Carolina thought the Supreme Court gave them an avenue to practice anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Guess what?

Priest backs trans community after diocese tells LGBT+ people ‘repent if you want baptism’

Wonder Woman Is Getting the Queer Romance She Deserves in New DC Comic

Minnesota Town Rallies Around Outed Trans Child

Pro wrestler kisses his boyfriend in front of homophobic protestors to “stand up against hate” – His fans loved it

This Week in Haters, Deplorable People, and Their Victims:

Antigay activist Josh Duggar can now add “convicted child sex predator” to his esteemed resumé

Court rejects Trump’s efforts to keep records from 1/6 panel

The far right isn’t attacking books. They’re attacking children – The right is weaponizing Q-Anon ideology and sexual assault to ban LGBTQ books, putting kids in danger

Torrance police traded racist, homophobic texts. It could jeopardize hundreds of cases – While no officers face criminal charges in direct relation to the text messages, the racist exchanges have led to the dismissal of at least 85 criminal cases involving the officers implicated in the scandal

Martin Shkreli ‘Pharma Bro’ Firm Reaches $40M Settlement in Gouging Case – The settlement doesn’t stop litigation against Martin Shkreli, who was dubbed the “Pharma Bro" and allegedly masterminded the scheme as Vyera’s first CEO

This Week in the Pandemic:

Covid-19 patients at this hospital are dying ‘at a rate we’ve never seen die before’ — and it’s taking a toll on health care workers

Illinois State Rep. Introduces Bill Requiring Unvaccinated Residents to Pay For Their Own COVID Care

16- and 17-year-olds are now eligible for a Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster

Maria Van Kerkhove interview: What we know about omicron so far – Exclusive: The World Health Organization’s technical lead on covid-19 says we will know how effective our vaccines are against omicron by Christmas

Fauci pushed back on Sen. Ron Johnson’s claims that he ‘overhyped’ the AIDS crisis and COVID-19

In Memoriam:

Bronski Beat founder Steve Bronski dies at 61

Bronski Beat co-founder ‘who changed lives’ dies

Steve Bronski, co-founder of pioneering gay band Bronski Beat, dies aged 61

Bob Dole dies at 98; anti-LGBTQ record is part of his legacy

Things I Wrote:

Nine Years Ago Today

We have reached the first Friday in December. Wait. What? December? How the heck did that happen?

My husband and I have been having odd symptoms that hint at a cold — no serious respiratory symptoms. It’s been weird and annoying.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories about bad-ass women in the news, one story of the WTF is wrong with people type, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about seditious treason, five stories about hate, and five stories about the pandemic. Plus notable obituaries and somethings I’ve written.

This Week in Badass Women:

Sotomayor Nails Forced-Birth Lawyer To The Wall

Stacey Abrams announces she’s running for governor in Georgia

This Week in WTF:

Another school shooting happened while you weren’t looking – At this point, slaughtering children in school doesn’t even merit top billing on the evening news broadcasts

Stories of the Week:

Congress averts shutdown after vaccine mandate fight

Local Democrats Only Flip 40-ish Seats In Georgia Elections, Probably Excellent News For John McCain

Menorah Lighting Is Back At The White House This Year – Last year, the so-called president held a partisan food reception, but no menorah

This dinosaur had a weapon shaped like an Aztec war club on its tail – A new ankylosaur species found in Chile may be an early version of the armored creatures

The deputy who shot Casey Goodson Jr. 5 times in the back is charged with murder

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

This guy 3D-printed a mirror array to make sunlight propose marriage for him

How a Seattle man became a lifeline for persecuted LGBTQ people in other countries

Biden’s World AIDS Day proclamation mentions LGBTQ people in break from Trump – Donald Trump and Mike Pence refused to acknowledge the impact HIV has had on LGBTQ people. Joe Biden changed that

Library Association Battles Attempts To Ban LGBT Books – There were 155 efforts to censor books in US schools and libraries, group says

Leslie Jordan and Cheyenne Jackson release holiday duet of ‘Little Drummer Boy’

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

Very, very, very bad news for Donald Trump

Judge Sends Signal To Capitol Rioters Who Blame Trump – "No one was swept away to the Capitol, no one was carried,” U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson told a defendant’s lawyer

Two Georgia election workers sue far-right website over false fraud allegations

FBI Arrests Capitol Rioter With The Help Of The ‘F**k You’ Tattoo On His Middle Finger – Justin Jersey, known as "Fingerman," was one of the earliest suspects sought by online sleuths investigating the Trump supporter who attacked cops

Sidney Powell And ‘Kraken’ Lawyers Must Pay More Than $175,000 To Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer And Others

This Week in Hate, Discrimination, and Bad People:

Google Sued for Anti-Trans, Antigay Discrimination by Former Employees

North Carolina Lt Gov Threatens Dem Lawmaker After Speech In Support Of LGBTQ Rights – "He has no power or authority over me," Sen. Mayfield says of exchange with lieutenant gov

Liberty University professor charged in sexual battery, abduction of student

Canada’s “QAnon Queen” Arrested After Death Threats – Self-declared ‘Queen of Canada’ detained by RCMP after alleged threats to health-care workers

‘I was given training to de-gay my voice’: what it’s really like to work in TV if you’re LGBTQ+

This Week in the Pandemic:

Stricter testing requirements for travelers coming to the US will take effect Monday

Parts of King County seeing big demand for COVID booster, appointments hard to come by

New York officials confirm 5 cases of omicron Covid variant in NYC metro area

Omicron vs. Delta: More mutations don’t necessarily make a meaner Covid-19 virus

NFL suspends Antonio Brown, two others for submitting fake vaccination cards

In Memoriam:

Stephen Sondheim, Titan of the American Musical, Is Dead at 91 – He was the theater’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century and the driving force behind some of Broadway’s most beloved and celebrated shows

Legendary gay composer & Broadway genius Stephen Sondheim passes at 91 – From "West Side Story" to "Sweeney Todd" and everything in between, the public searches hopelessly for words that encapsulate the incomparable creative

Some Insufficient Words About Stephen Sondheim

Eddie Mekka, Carmine on ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ dead at 69

Dave Draper, iconic American bodybuilder, dies at 79

Lee Elder, the first Black golfer to play at the Masters, dies at 87

Things I Wrote:

Transgender Day of Remembrance

It’s nearly time for the jangle java jingle!

Mid-week News Update: Lack of moral compass edition

Some pre-Thanksgiving Dinner humor

It’s time for Turkeys!

Thanksgiving Greeting

Time to be Thankful

To absent friends… 2021

NASA is pulling a "Deep Impact": New spacecraft will test asteroid deflection methods – The DART satellite will test how easy it is to change the course of potentially dangerous asteroids

All 3 Defendants Were Just Found Guilty of Murdering Ahmaud Arbery – The case helped galvanize racial justice protests around the world

‘Tis the season: First lady Jill Biden receives official White House Christmas tree

Apple Sues Israeli Spyware Maker, Seeking to Block Its Access to iPhones – Apple accused NSO Group, the Israeli surveillance company, of “flagrant” violations of its software, as well as federal and state laws

Christian Billionaires Are Funding a Push to Kill the Equality Act

We have reached the third Friday in November, and I am well into my project for this year’s National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo

I know I said last week was rainy, but I spoke too soon. During the period from Saturday evening through Monday western Washington was inundated with about as much rainfall as we typically get in the entire month of November. Wow. In more personal news, on Thursday during what was supposed to be a routine checkup, my general practitioner told me that instead of waiting for my scheduled appointed a few weeks out for my COVID booster, that he could give me the shot that day. So, I got my booster! Woo!

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about vaccines, two stories about a lying jerk, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, and five stories about the pandemic (plus some notable obituaries and things I wrote).

This Week in I Couldn’t Have Put It Better Myself:

Dan Savage doesn’t hold back in his warning to straight guys flirting with gay guys

ART AND CLIMATE

This Week in Ways You Can Help:

Here’s where you can honor trans lives on the Transgender Day of Remembrance this Saturday – For those looking for a space to honor the lives that have been lost, we’ve compiled some events taking place around the country

Stories of the Week:

Mrs. Betty Bowers explains why they think America is a theocracy

CDC: No trace of virus causing smallpox found in lab vials, despite labels

Science Discovers Another Avenue That Could Lead to an HIV Cure

Biden administration will invest billions to expand coronavirus vaccine manufacturing

‘Let’s get it done’: House moves to vote on Build Back Better Act after CBO score is released

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

A Landmark Year for U.S. Cities in Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality

Trucks are driving around in Texas with huge signs that declare “Trans lives are precious” – "We need to go beyond awareness. Most people are ‘aware’ that trans people exist. We must take action and continue to fight for our trans family."

High school students clap back at school board protestors claiming book “teaches kids how to be gay” – One student pointed out the irony in all the "Free Speech" Trump supporters draped in American flags and calling for government censorship and book burning

GOP politicians tried to shut down a smalltown LGBTQ support group. It backfired spectacularly – The LGBTQ community is a "hate group" because they "make people upset," according to the elected officials

She-Ra creator Noelle Stevenson on life after Princesses of Power and telling TERFs to ‘get f**ked’

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Liars:

He Raped Four Girls. He’s White, And His Parents Are Wealthy – So you will not be that surprised by how this turned out

Nicolle Wallace Performs Live Autopsy On Pathetic Gasbag Chris Christie

Trump Fanatic Who Electroshocked D.C. Cop On Jan. 6 Tries To Get His Confession Tossed – The Trump supporter, who electroshocked Officer Mike Fanone at the Capitol on Jan. 6, is trying to argue that he wasn’t properly advised of his rights

‘QAnon Shaman’ is sentenced to over 3 years in prison for role in Capitol riot – Jacob Chansley had pleaded guilty in September to a single count of felony obstruction of an official proceeding

Unmasking Moms for Liberty

This Week in the Pandemic:

Fauci Warns Of Uptick In Hospitalizations Among Fully Vaccinated, Touts Boosters – Hospital Stays Rising Among People Who Didn’t Get Boosters

More than a million Americans may have long-term loss of smell due to COVID-19, new research says

State officials from California to Maine are already giving out Covid boosters to all adults

Pediatricians warn of virus’ impact on kids, urge parents to vaccinate them; weekly new infections again surpass 600,000: COVID-19 updates

Army to Begin Forcing Out Soldiers Who Refuse COVID Vaccine, Including Guardsmen

Things I Wrote:

Weekend Update: Dishonored Wounded Troops Given Second Chance

Confessions of a Reluctant Tent Pole, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Make the Perfect Martini

Confessions of a Child Abuse Survivor, or, why forgiving and forgetting isn’t an option for some of us

Confessions of a rain-worshiper, or, why isn’t it called non-standard time?

We have reached the second Friday in November, and I am well into my project for this year’s National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo

It has been a very rainy week. I have been working on a loaner laptop all week because last week I defended my title as clumsiest man in the world by dropping a full glass right on the keyboard of my old laptop.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about vaccines, two stories about a lying jerk, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, and five stories about the pandemic (plus some notable obituaries and things I wrote).

This Week in You Don’t Say:

New study shows why there are so few LGBTQ anti-vaxxers

This Week in Lying A-holes:

The ‘woke mob’ didn’t come for Aaron Rodgers – Rodgers’ response following the news last week that he had misled the league about his vaccination status and contracted Covid-19 has been the opposite of a strong leader

Aaron Rodgers is guilty of a lot more than breaking NFL rules – Our View: When Aaron Rodgers defended himself spouting junk science, he ignored his power as a football superstar to misinform millions of Americans

Stories of the Week:

A secret tape made after Columbine shows the NRA’s evolution on school shootings

Trump insult to wounded troops to be remedied; Purple Heart medals increased

Ferris wheel-size asteroid could be a lost piece of the moon

Justices seek narrow ruling in mosque surveillance case – A suit from post-9/11 snooping on a California Muslim congregations raises questions about the scope of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Spotsylvania School Board orders libraries to remove ‘sexually explicit’ books

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

The All-Queer Justice League Is Back to Make the Yuletide Gay

Coming out as bisexual helped minor league pitcher Kieran Lovegrove find the inner peace he needed

LGBT+ staff are quitting BBC in droves over anti-trans views, leaked recording reveals

Election Day Produces LGBTQ+ Firsts Around the Nation

What books are being targeted at school libraries?

This Week in the Pandemic:

Dennis Prager Pretty Sure Unvaxxed Morons More Shunned Than Gay Men During 1980s AIDS Crisis

Texas research: Unvaxxed 20 times more likely to die from COVID

Anti-mask pair charged in Crumb Together assault has history of criminal charges

Federal judge says Texas governor’s ban on school mask mandates violates Americans with Disabilities Act – The decision bars the state attorney general from enforcing the executive order issued by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott

Berlin bans unvaccinated from entertainment venues, as Germany battles record-breaking Covid cases

In Memoriam:

Seattle TV pioneer ‘Wunda Wunda’ dies at 101 – Ruth Prins, otherwise known as Wunda Wunda, hosted a popular children’s show from 1952-1972

Dean Stockwell, Actor in ‘Married to the Mob’ and ‘Quantum Leap,’ Dies at 85 – The Oscar nominee, who made nearly 20 movies before he turned 15, also was memorable in ‘The Boy With Green Hair,’ ‘Compulsion’ and ‘Blue Velvet.’

Dean Stockwell, ‘Quantum Leap’ Star, Dies at 85

Things I Wrote:

Tuesday Tidbits: Liars who lie to everyone

Remembering the 11th day of the 11th month…

We have reached the first Friday in November, and I am well into my project for this year’s National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo

This has not been a fun week. The first couple of days of the week I thought I was having very severe hay fever. It’s the right time of year for ferns to start sporing around here, and my hay fever is always worst the first few days that a new-for-this-year pollen/spore/mold is in the air. I didn’t think about the fact that since my doctor put me on the new prescription allergy med last winter I have had almost no severe hay fever days. Anyway, my husband came home from work Tuesday with all the symptoms I had and a report that nearly half of his co-workers called in sick that day. The next morning we both had a fever. So far as I can tell, it’s just a run-of-the-mill cold, but still, I’ve been congested and rundown all week.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about treasures, two stories of the WTF is wrong with people type, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, and five stories about haters, traitors and other deplorable people.

This Week in Audio Treasure Troves:

When the Man in Black Met the Guys in Tie-Dye – Owsley Stanley, the legendary Grateful Dead soundman and LSD chemist, left behind thirteen hundred reels of live recordings from his sonic laboratory, including a newly released recording of the night Johnny Cash came to town

This Week in WTF:

LAPD forced to protect comic book artists after anti-LGBTQ fans freak over bisexual Superman – It’s just a comic book but for some it’s yet another entry into a changing world they just cannot handle

“Eternals” inundated with hateful fake reviews because the movie has a gay superhero – IMDB has removed the negative reviews while Rotton Tomatoes has banned anyone from "reviewing" a movie that hasn’t come out yet

Stories of the Week:

Life expectancy fell sharply in the U.S. last year among high-income countries – Russia was the only country that had a steeper drop in 2020, a study of death date spanning several continents found

US puts Israeli spyware firm NSO Group on trade blacklist – Washington accuses company of supplying technology to ‘maliciously target’ activists and journalists It’s about f-ing time…

Dems Have A Deal To Lower Prescription Drug Costs – There’s enough really good stuff in the package to lift you out of your election blues!

Dear Moderates: The Left Isn’t Why McAuliffe Lost Virginia – Voters want a deal that looks much more like Pramilla Jayapal’s than Joe Manchin’s

Joe Rogan and CNN Are Butting Heads Over “Horse Dewormer” COVID Cure – CNN portrayed Rogan’s use of ivermectin as conspiracy-addled. Rogan says the drug, which is also used for animals, was prescribed by a doctor—and that the network bad-mouthed him

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

No charges for Wyoming librarians over sex ed, LGBTQ books

Trans Workers File Unfair Labor Practices Complaints Against Netflix

Senate confirms first Out lesbian to serve on an U.S. Court of Appeals

Same-sex partners win survivors benefits after Justice Dept. dismisses lawsuits – Some same-sex spouses and partners have been barred from Social Security survivors benefits due to now-defunct bans on gay marriage

R.K. Russell opens up about being Black and bisexual in the NFL — and how to make sports more inclusive – Being Black and bisexual in America come with their own challenges, but for R.K. Russell, they’ve come with many blessings as well.

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Liars:

It’s ‘Actually’ in ‘the Bible’: Kyle Rittenhouse’s Judge Explains Hearsay Rule to Jury by Talking About Trials of St. Paul the Apostle

Judge In GA Vigilante Murder Trial Says Jury Selection Was “Intentional Discrimination,” Seats Jury Anyway

Jan. 6 Defendant Who Said She’s ‘Definitely Not Going To Jail’ Sentenced To Prison – Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate agent who flew to D.C. on a private plane and livestreamed in the Capitol, got 60 days in prison

Trump and His Lawyers Have Handed Investigators What They Need to Charge Them With ‘Seditious Conspiracy’: Ex-Prosecutor

Trump DOJ lawyer Jeffrey Clark to testify before Jan. 6 panel Friday